Happy Birthday!

My hubby turned the big 35 last week! Wow, hon, you're old. ;) JUST KIDDING! We were in Utah for his birthday so we didn't get a big celebration or anything. I took him out to lunch and then we sang to him on his birthday, but there were a lot of other family things going on. Last night we had a little birthday party for him with dinner, cake and candles. It was fun and I hope he felt special, even though he doesn't really seem much into birthday details. :)

Be Still, My Soul

What an emotional, wonderful, wild and crazy few days we've had here at my parents' house in southern Utah. My sister was sealed in the St. George temple yesterday and we had all the fun things that go along with that as well. I will be sharing more about that when we get home from our trip with pictures and everything. My entire immediate family was able to be here and how special that was to spend time with them.

Today we went to my cousin's mission farewell. She spoke profoundly about patience. She has endured much in her road to this mission and still may not actually be able to go. I just pray that she is lead in the right direction, whichever that may be right now. The opening hymn was Be Still, My Soul. I was very touched by the words in this hymn at the moment. It is exactly what I need in my life right now. There is so much chaos and busy-ness with school, activities, church callings, this trip, housekeeping (which I'm so behind on), etc. My soul is not at rest. I need some order and peace. Here are the words to this sweet hymn.

Be Still, My Soul

Be still, my soul:
The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev'ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul:
Thy best, thy heav'nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul:
Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul:
The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul:
The hour is hast'ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul:
When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

I'm going to end with this for tonight and hope for some peace and patience in my soul.

Tutu Teaser

I've made tutus for my girls and here's a little taste:

Rain!

My girls love to play out in the rain. Wednesday when we got some good showers they were right out there playing in it. It was pretty cute. I got some cute pictures of Kate. Megan wasn't so into the camera that day.

And baby # 5 is...

So Ben and I went to our big ultrasound this morning. The baby was perfect and beatuiful. We waited patiently for her to tell us what we were having...a little nervously...until finally she sad matter of factly


























































IT'S A GIRL! LOL! Yes, baby #5 is girl #4. We are excited. After our appointment we did a little shopping to find her first little outfit.

I have to admit I was really hoping to hear the other result and how exciting that will be, but what is better than a sweet, precious, adorable baby girl? We sure make them cute, so we are not disappointed at all. Every dream I've had this pregnancy has been about a baby girl, so I should have known. Now to tell the kids--they were all so hoping for a boy. Now the hunt for names begins!

18 weeks

Today marks the beginning of my 18th week of this pregnancy. It also marked the first time I threw up. :( I was feeling so much better as long as I was eating. I don't have any aversions to any foods anymore, but I am still sensitive when I brush my teeth. Brushing my teeth makes me gag and so far I have been able to keep it at bay, but this morning it was not happening. I'm bummed that my streak is over.

On the other hand I look pregnant now and I love that! I don't feel just "fat" anymore and people can tell that I'm pregnant. :) I've only gained 4 pounds so far so that's great. I listened to the baby's heartbeat last week at my appointment and it sounded wonderful! This Friday is our big ultrasound when we will find out if this last one is a boy or a girl. We are excited to find out either way! I think Ben is resigned to the fact that it could be another girl. Oh well, he will survive. :)

Here's my 18 week self portrait. I decided to do include my head and camera because that's me lately...hiding behind the camera most of the time. I love it!